Here's a must-have resource. Whether your focus is racism, the Great Depression, the "Scottsboro Boys" trial, or part of a reading of To Kill A Mockingbird, the information contained in the seven-page packet will save hours of...

Using the family stories of a famous comedian and singer-songwriter, learners consider what life was like for African Americans who were enslaved and free before the Civil War. To complete a concluding activity, they write about the...

Individuals have $50,000 to spend on a program at their schools—what will they do with the money? After looking at the Constitutional mandate, learners use a census simulation activity to consider the question. After conducting their own...

While a woman didn't invent the parasol, three women received patents for their improvements to the original design of umbrellas. In the first of a two-part series on inventive women, class members investigate the patent system to...

While the use of the atomic bomb was the definitive end of World War II, the terrible weapons left new questions. Young scholars use primary sources and analytical worksheets to consider the implications of the fateful decision. Then,...

To some people, protesting is as American as apple pie, but the factors that lead to protests can be as confusing to veteran activists as to today's youth. Revolution '67 explores the riots in Newark, New Jersey as a case study. ...

If basketball players make more than teachers, why shouldn't learners all aspire to play in the NBA? Unraveling the cost and benefits of education and future economic success can be tricky. Economic data, real-life cases, and some...

A New Order in Europe calls for a new lesson plan! This third plan in a series of four sequential lessons encourages high schoolers to read primary sources about the development of the New Order and follow up their knowledge with a...

"Love it or leave it." "You're either for us or against us." Rhetoric and it's polarizing effects are the focus of a lesson that uses John Brown's attack on Harper's Ferry as an exemplar. Groups examine primary source documents,...

Here is a quick worksheet on King David, the second king of Israel. It discusses his famous contest with the Philistine warrior Goliath and is followed by a few reading comprehension questions.

Learners take on the roles of jurors in a civil case to evaluate evidence and determine a verdict in this engaging online interactive experience.

Should Americans provide compensation to those whose ancestors suffered from slavery? Read and analyze the arguments of two modern-day journalists on the topic. Then, have a discussion on both the merits of the arguments as well as what...

What was it like to be a part of the sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement? Learners consider the question and whether the protests were effective using an online documents-based investigation. The program allows for virtual...

Looking for a simple and straightforward reference on the Enlightenment for your young historians? Check out this list of key terms and important figures from the period, followed by a traditional assessment where your learners will be...

Designed for high school and college teachers and young scholars, History Matters serves as a gateway to web resources and offers other useful materials for teaching U.S. history.

A vast resource filled with information on teaching history at all grade levels. There are links to podcasts, teaching materials, primary source documents, videos, and best practices in the teaching of history. Don't miss this fantastic...

After learning to distinguish between primary and secondary sources, students will examine four primary documents and address a set of questions for each.

This report from the Stanford History Education Group describes the conclusions of their work in field testing a set of assessments of civic online reasoning by young people from the middle school to the college level. Middle school...

Find relationships among primary and secondary sources of information that identify where information from different sources converges and where it differs.

There are many versions of historical events, people, and places. This PBL offers an opportunity to students to actively explore a disputed event or urban myth to decide which version they will argue in favor of with supporting evidence.

With a brief story and photo of an image, students will do some digging to figure out how old the object pictured is and the history behind it.

An easy-to-follow guide to assist in determining whether online resources are reliable and true. Find questions to ask while reviewing sources. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.8 and CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9

This website is an excellent resource for teaching with primary sources. This resource features Holocaust lessons, lesson plan strategies, and podcasts.

Understand how historians are like detectives- studying evidence from the past.